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SMPTE Announces Annual Awards Recipients For 2018

10/08/2018

USA: SMPTE has announced the individuals who will be recognised with 2018 awards as part of the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2018) in Los Angeles.

"The awards and honours conferred by SMPTE each year are remarkable because they highlight men and women who have made tremendous contributions to the industry. At the same time, this is an opportunity to showcase the stories behind these industry-defining achievements and the people that brought them to fruition," said SMPTE President Matthew Goldman, Senior Vice President of Technology at MediaKind. "In recognising an array of worthy award winners, the Annual SMPTE Awards Gala also offers a unique perspective on the human element of advances in media and entertainment technology."

Honorary Membership is the Society's highest accolade. It recognises individuals who have performed distinguished service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or the allied arts and sciences. This year, SMPTE honours Charles A. Steinberg in recognition of his leadership role at both Ampex and Sony for more than 45 years. Steinberg participated in and led engineering/technology and business teams that brought many innovations to the broadcasting field. His efforts included 2-inch tape, 1-inch helical tape, Digital Betacam (commonly referred to as DigiBeta), and HDCAM (standardized as SMPTE 367M, also known as SMPTE D-11). Steinberg has received three Emmy® awards — one for the introduction of HDTV, another for technical efforts at the XXVII Olympiad, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Progress Medal is the most prestigious SMPTE award, and it recognises outstanding technical contributions to the progress of the engineering phases of the motion-picture, television, or motion-imaging industries. SMPTE is presenting the 2018 Progress Medal to Craig Todd in recognition of more than four decades of innovation in the delivery of digital multichannel sound to the theatre and the home, as well as significant contributions to high dynamic range (HDR) imagery and support of the standards process worldwide.

The Camera Origination and Imaging Medal recognises significant technical achievements related to inventions or advances in imaging technology, including sensors, imaging processing electronics, and the overall embodiment and application of image-capture devices. Robert Neuhauser will receive the award for his innovation and leadership in the development of, and contributions to, literature on imaging devices, particularly television camera tubes, for more than six decades.

The David Sarnoff Medal, sponsored by SRI International, recognises outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have improved the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. The award will be presented to Hugo P. Gaggioni in recognition of his contributions to the development of HDTV, wide colour gamut, HDR, and the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) compression systems.

The Digital Processing Medal recognises significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. Tim Borer will receive the award for his contributions in the areas of image processing, particularly motion-aware video frame rate conversion and video compression algorithms, including techniques used in phase correlation-based frame interpolation.

The James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, sponsored by James A. Lindner, recognises significant technical advancements or contributions related to the invention or development of technology, techniques, workflows, or infrastructure for the long-term storage, archive, or preservation of media content essence. The 2018 award will be presented to Robert J. Heiber in recognition of his contributions to the preservation and restoration of motion-picture and television sound.

The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal, sponsored by Warner Bros., recognises outstanding contributions in the design and development of new and improved methods and/or apparatus for motion-picture sound, at any step in the process. The award will be presented to David R. Schwind in recognition of his contributions in the area of acoustic design.

The Technicolor – Herbert T. Kalmus Medal, sponsored by Technicolor Inc., recognises outstanding contributions that reflect a commitment to the highest standards of quality and innovation in motion-picture postproduction and distribution services. The award will be presented to Rod Bogart for his instrumental contributions to the design, implementation, and deployment of the industry-standard OpenEXR image format, a core enabling technology for HDR moviemaking. Bogart also contributed to the development and education of the virtual white point for digital cinema presentation, which allows for the authentic reproduction of filmmakers' creative intent.

The Workflow Systems Medal, sponsored by Leon D. Silverman, recognises outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of workflows, such as integrated processes, end-to-end systems, or industry ecosystem innovations that enhance creativity, collaboration, and efficiency, or novel approaches to the production, postproduction, or distribution process. The award will be presented to Fabrice Bellard in recognition of his work in creating Fast Forward Motion Picture Experts Group (FFmpeg), one of the most successful open-source media projects to date and an essential video and audio learning tool. The creation of FFmpeg provides a working reference architecture for digital video processing and format conversion, a critical component of information technology (IT)-based workflows. Bellard's work has enabled a vast number of viewers to access media on a global scale in consumer products and has enabled countless IT-based digital video productions.

The Journal Award is presented to the author of the most outstanding paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during the preceding calendar year. The award will be presented to Sean T. McCarthy for the article "A Biologically Inspired Approach to Making HDR Video Quality Assessment Easier", published in the May/June 2017 issue of the Journal.

Two Journal Certificates of Merit will be presented to Jaclyn Pytlarz, Elizabeth Pieri, and Robin Atkins for the article "Objectively Evaluating High-Dynamic-Range and Wide-Color-Gamut Color Differences", published in the March 2017 issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal; and to Nikolaus Kero, Thomas Kernen, and Tobias Muller for the article "Efficient Monitoring of ST 2059-2 Based Time Transfer Performance", published in the digital-only edition of the May/June 2017 issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.

The Presidential Proclamation recognises individuals of established and outstanding status and reputation in the motion-picture, television, and motion-imaging industries worldwide. This year two individuals will be recognised.

Phil Laven will receive the award in recognition of his contributions to the broadcast industry, and John Ross will receive the award in recognition of his work in the development of production switchers, signal processing, chroma keying, and analog and digital systems design.

The Excellence in Standards Award recognises individuals or companies that have been actively involved in advancing the Society's standards activities and processes. S. Merrill Weiss will receive this award in recognition of more than four decades of participation and more than three decades of leadership in the development of SMPTE's standards.

The Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society, which recognises individuals for dedicated service for the betterment of the Society over a sustained period, will be conferred upon two SMPTE Members. Charles Reti, for his more than 20 years of contribution to the Detroit Section as a Manager, Membership Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and more than a decade as Section Chair. He has worked to keep the Detroit Section active by developing monthly programmes and providing enduring leadership.

Also, to Peter Stavrianos, for his decade of contributions to the Australia Section, especially the SMPTE Australia Conferences in 2013 and 2015. For the 2013 conference, Stavrianos was the chair of the Conference Papers Committee and produced a programme with two tracks, 16 sessions, and 52 presentations over four days.

The Student Paper Award recognises the outstanding paper prepared and submitted by a Student Member. The paper receiving the Student Paper Award will be published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. The 2018 award will be presented to Jason Bud Ginsberg and Neil Movva, students at Stanford University, for their paper "Dynamic Field of View in a Tomographic Light Field Display".

Emily Faw, a recent graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) who is now a colour science technician at Technicolor, will receive an honourable mention for her paper "What Does a High Dynamic Range Mean: Creating a High Dynamic Range Workflow for Film Students".

Catherine Meininger, a recent graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) who is now a colour scientist at Portrait Displays Inc., will receive an honourable mention for her paper "Determining Visibility Thresholds for Spatial and Spatiotemporal Chromatic Noise".

The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to assist students in furthering their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2018 scholarship will be awarded to three SMPTE Student Members: Grace Annese, Rochester Institute of Technology; Angie Urbina, Pasadena City College; and Jake Zuena, Rochester Institute of Technology.

Fifteen new SMPTE Fellows also will be recognised during the Annual Awards Gala. This honour is conferred on individuals who have, through their proficiency and contributions to the motion-picture, television, or related industries, attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in media and entertainment.